Background: Despite children`s unique characteristics that distinguish them from adults, relatively few attempts have been made to measure exposure factors for characterization of children`s exposure to hazardous chemicals in child-specific products (CSP). This study was conducted to establish the child-specific exposure factors for exposure and risk assessment of hazardous substances in CSP. Methods: We investigated the exposure factors (e.g., time use of child-products, time and frequency of object-to-body contact, time and frequency of object-to-mouth contact) influencing children`s exposure to CSP (e.g., toys, playmats, oil pastels, etc.) in 650 children through a parent-completed questionnaire using a web-based survey. Participants were recruited in five age groups, <1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-6, and 6-12 years of age. Results: The child-specific exposure factors were presented as the mean, median, percentile, minimum, and maximum values. Time activity for play mats was the longest among CSP and infants spent more time on them than did elder age groups (189.3-224.7 min/day for <1-2 years vs. 91.2 min/day for 6-12 years). It is apparent that time and frequency of toy block- and plastic toy-to-mouth contact significantly decreased as a function of age. When the variation of CSP use patterns was compared by gender, the only variable that was statistically different between genders was time activity in child-products exposure space. Conclusion: We believe the five child-specific exposure factors suggested in the present study will be valuable for reducing uncertainty in the estimation of chemical exposure during risk assessment of CSP and furthermore, in the appropriate regulations to protect children`s health.

National Institute of Envlronmental Research. Exposure and risk assessment of hazardous substances in child-products(I): oral exposure. Inchon: National Institute of Envlronmental Research Press; 2007.

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National Institute of Envlronmental Research. Exposure and risk assessment of hazardous substances in child-products(II): oral exposure. Inchon: National Institute of Envlronmental Research Press; 2008.

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National Institute of Envlronmental Research. Exposure and risk assessment of hazardous substances in child-products(III): dermal exposure. Inchon: National Institute of Envlronmental Research Press; 2009.

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National Institute of Envlronmental Research. Exposure and risk assessment of hazardous substances in child-products(IV): inhalation exposure. Inchon: National Institute of Envlronmental Research Press; 2010.